To Live is to Heal
by Gweniveir
Summary: And then Sheik started to shake. Her body twisted and she levitated off the ground for a moment. Her red eyes flashed blue, over and over again. Sheik started to duplicate before my eyes. Her body shuddered and fell to the floor. -Chapter 13. Post TP.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **

**Congratulate me—I've gotten a new idea for a TP fan fiction! Well, sort of. I just need to find some sort of /bad guy/ sometime, but I have a sketchy outline of what's gonna happen…hmmph. Please review and favorite!**

**P.S: This wouldn't have been possible without Lish! Also, make sure to read her new fic, 'When You Play with Fire'!**

Midna walked out of the mirror chamber, strongly resisting her feelings. Her people were waiting. She could not face them with any emotion but strength and happiness; they would certainly question her about her victory, but she would tell only the things she deemed respectable. As soon as she stepped out of the chamber her guards would escort her to her throne once more.

"Princess!"

As expected, she was surrounded by her guards immediately. They were as loyal and respectful as ever, and did not bombard her with multiple questions at one time. They only wished to know if she were harmed, and as much as she wished she could say yes, that she was wounded and untreatable, she calmly answered them with, "No, I'm injured. Give me a break; of course I'm not injured." They laughed lightly.

She entered her palace and resisted a sigh. She had not expected her burden to be this heavy. _Not nearly as bad as Link's would be, of course. _She walked faster than her guards and they struggled to keep up. She would see the High Council and tell them her version of the story, and then she would rest, hopefully with some incentive to get up in the morning.

Her palace was simply decorated, with portraits of her ancestors and long banners hung on flag posts with the symbols of Twilight, which were also imprinted on her skin. She had developed them when she was thirteen years of age, and had become next in line for Queen because with them came an unusual mark on her forehead, as did the previous royalty. She would need to age just one simple year, and then she would be Queen, the most respected, although it seemed she already was. Everyone, including herself, had grieved when the previous Queen died. She was kind and understanding. Midna hoped she could live up to such standards.

When she was new to the throne, when she was in her castle, she refused to act like her normal self. That was how she had always been—silent and solemn in her castle, but bitterly fun with strangers. She changed when she turned fifteen. There was nothing to hide from, she realized.

All of the guards in the castle bowed to her as she passed them. Their uniforms were a simple black plate body, and they made the most unusual sound when they walked or moved. Nearly like the clang of the blacksmith's hammer, but more steady. It was a deep sound, and was soothing to Midna, since she had lived with it for a very long time. She nodded in approval at them and walked on.

There was a great door, and in that door, the High Council gathered. Although they did sleep eventually, they seemed to never move from their chairs. All furniture in the castle was imprinted with the symbols of Twilight in some way or the other, and when they rarely stood up, they would have creases in their robes that looked like Midna's skin.

As she stepped in, four guards flanking her, the council members smiled in such a way that should be taken as a happy response, but was instead very frightening. Midna was no longer afraid of them, but when she was new to the Throne, she was.

"You have returned, Princess." They greeted her, standing up suddenly and bowing.

"I wouldn't be here if I hadn't."

"Ah, our kingdom is restored. You must be tired. Rest now, we shall hear the tale later," They all continued each other's sentences, and seemed to speak in union at the last part.

Midna nodded and turned swiftly, her cloak dancing as she did. There was only a slight breeze in the castle, not nearly enough. Her cloak was so light that if there was a significant wind, she would tie the string that tightened her hood around her neck and hope it didn't leave a mark on her neck when she took it off.

Her guards followed her to her room quietly. They wished her a good rest and took up their positions outside her door. Midna bid them farewell and gently closed the door.

Midna's room was composed of a very large oak bed and two small tables that were on each side of it. Even her pillows had the symbols of Twilight, and she had a small fireplace around four feet from her 'main' area. The room was a perfect square. Her bed elegantly shaped around her window, which she enjoyed keeping open. It was a picturesque view—the entire palace courtyard was two stories below, and she once decided to jump when she was younger. She had ended up floating down to the ground, and then her mother gave her a long lecture on testing her powers.

Midna walked to the far corner of her room where her dresser was and opened the first drawer. Her nightgown was a baby blue that matched her skin, and it had green symbols of Twilight on it that also matched her. It had long sleeves and went all the way to her ankles, with lace on the sleeves and neckline. She quickly changed and then slid under her white covers.

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Midna opened her eyes and flipped her hair out of her face. She missed the bright sun shining in the light realm. Sighing, she sat up slowly, putting both hands behind her and shaking her head, as if to throw the sadness away.

She knew she had to get up, and so she slowly did so, getting dressed in her usual attire and then grabbing a brush and letting her hair down. She would let it grow, this year, and see how long it would be. Her mother told her it would grow to her waist in a year and to her feet in three. Midna never believed this, but she would see.

Midna stepped out of her bedroom quietly. "Good morning, Princess. Breakfast is being made, and we were going to send someone to wake you soon. Shall I escort you to the Great Hall?" A small female servant with blonde curls and a darker shade of blue skin stood next to Midna.

"If you want to." Midna stated, walking along behind the servant. The Great Hall was right around the corner, and as they entered it the smell of warm, fresh bread, cheese and tea hit them. If there were any children in the room, they would be licking their lips in delight.

Midna sat down slowly, placing her ornate napkin on her lap and the taking a fork out of it. Another servant brought her food—a small amount of cheese, fresh, oven baked rolls and an herbal tea. She thanked him and then began to eat.

The food was delicious. She had not realized she was so hungry, and almost happily finished her second serving. After that, she held her hands in front of her, gently saying, "No thank you."

After she stood up gracefully, her guards followed her to the Council room and stood guard outside of it. It was a large, round room with desks all the way around it. Midna cleared her throat.

"Good morning, Princess. We take it you would like to tell your tale of bravery?"

"Yes."

"Then please, begin." The council chanted in a blank monotone.

"When Zant first unleashed his fury upon us, I looked for him. When I didn't find him, I went to the courtyard's balcony. I gazed around, looking for any sign of him. I then heard a laugh behind me and whirled around, only to see Zant. I… I started to…flee."

Most of the council resisted gasping. Some did, and they regained silence quickly.

"After that, I found the sacred power—the Fused Shadows—and harnessed them. I then found my way to the Mirror. I traveled to the realm of Light and found their Hero. He served me well. I collected the Fused Shadows and pieces of the Twilight Mirror, and then I destroyed Zant and his God."

"Where is their Hero now?"

"Living in the Light Realm. He didn't accompany me here," Midna stated, trying to resist wincing. He wouldn't have wanted this…she could not have told him without conflict. She couldn't have told him that she wasn't going to stay. Even if it was too dangerous for him.

"Ah. The people will be proud of you, Princess. You have saved us," One member of the Council said, while the others stood up. "Dismissed."

Midna walked out of the room, avoiding eye contact with anyone. The eyes might be the same color as Link's... She refused to think about him. No, she couldn't think about him.

That day Midna was going to have to survive without him. It was harder than ever, with the castle people—not the guards—questioning her obnoxiously. Her guards seemed to notice her displeasure and herded them away from her. Her mind was trying to forget him, but his face, full of sadness, kept coming back…

Twilight was an interesting time when you spent so much time in the light realm. There was only a slight bit of sun left, and the sky was an orangish pink. Beautiful, but almost eerie. How long had she spent there? It seemed endless… no. It was heaven.

She stood on the courtyard balcony, dazed. Only the occasional sound of people talking interrupted her. Midna had told her guards they were dismissed, but a few still stayed nearby. _How deticated can they be? It's not like I'm going to be kidnapped! I can look out for myself._ She fingered her dress.

He's gone.

So _why does it still hurt? _


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

**F'in straight I'm hyped! Must love Linkin Park baby!**

**P.S: Thanks to all reviewers, favoriters and alerters!**

"Link, you can stay at the castle for the night. It's dark already," Zelda said softly. "You won't be of any trouble."

"I'll be okay," Link mumbled blankly. "I have my lantern." He blew his horse charm quickly. Epona would find him in a minute.

"Then you are leaving already?"

"I'm afraid so. Goodbye, Zelda," Link said. His voice was starting to crack and the hurt was now showing on his face. "Take care of yourself."

"Goodbye, Link. You, also, take care. If you ever need anything…I'm here," Zelda murmured slowly, brushing her bangs out of her heart shaped face. She wanted to say, "Be strong," so badly, but couldn't will herself to. Her lips remained frozen. Epona came rushing towards Link noisily.

"Hiyah!" Link kicked Epona to a gallop, his teeth gritted. Epona seemed to sense his sadness and obeyed him without protest. He immediately stopped. He twisted his torso towards her. "Thank you…"

Just as she was about to ask him why, he turned and kicked Epona to full speed.

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It was already morning when Link got to Ordon, and he wasn't going to stay awake much longer. Hurt kept him awake in the night, but now he felt like he had nothing. Nothing besides an emptiness that left him helpless.

The kids must have not assumed he would be at his house, because they weren't waiting for him. That, however, was fine with him, because his face must have been streaked with his feelings. He tied Epona to the small post by the ladder and then wearily climbed to his home.

He lay down on his small futon mattress and tried to sleep. When he closed his eyes, all he saw was her tear, shattering the mirror…

Eventually, he fell asleep. He woke up well rested, but still greatly in pain. It felt like someone had ripped his living heart out and then expected him to grow a new one. He could never be hers. How stupid of him to even remotely think that. She couldn't have felt the same way. And he was a farm boy. That's all he was.

Link woke up around dawn the next day. He shook his head, as if to say no. His pain wasn't gone, but rather tucked away, waiting to spring out at the time when it would hurt him most. How could he ever forget her?

He dressed in his Tunic, even though it needed to be washed badly. His farm clothes, too, were tossed aside somewhere in his basement. Link didn't bother to grab the Master Sword, which he would keep until he thought it was right to return it. He did, however, bring his slingshot, which he would lend to the kids for the day.

No one was awake yet, so Link decided to wash his farm clothes in the small 'river' that ran through Ordon. He went into his basement to retrieve them, shoving small chests and bookshelves aside to find them. The outfit was strewn onto the second shelf of an oak bookcase.

As he brought the clothes to the shallow end of the river, by the waterwheel, he heard a small whine from Epona. If he didn't tend to her, then she would throw a fit, as Ilia called them. He hustled back and noticed her water was dry. _Why didn't I remind myself? Poor Epona. She'll die of thirst deprivation if I don't get her more. _"Hush, Epona. I'm getting you water."

Link filled the trough in which Epona's water was supposed to be with water from the small well he owned and then sighed. He wasn't going to accomplish anything if he couldn't _remember._ Ilia would be up soon, and she would be happy to know that he was safe. He would wash his clothes and wait for her to come outside.

_Swish, slosh. Swish, slosh. _The sound of the clothes running through the water soothed Link. It was a warm, welcoming sound for him. He grinned to himself and then chuckled. His pain wasn't healed but he was learning how to ignore the hole in his chest. Everything that happened before her was making it easier to handle.

Link smiled when he lifted the farm clothes out of the water. The dirt stains that were on them had disappeared and they smelled fresh. He quickly set them out on the grass to dry and then took off his brownish shoes. He walked to the log bridge that he so often played on when he was a child and sat down, swishing his feet through the water.

Ilia stepped out of her house soon after he finished washing his clothes. She didn't see Link until he turned the corner and said, "Good morning."

"Link! Link, you're home!" Ilia beamed, rushing to him and then hugging him. She let go and smiled. "Welcome back, Link."

"Thanks, Ilia," Link said, also smiling.

"Are you here for good, this time?"

"Yes, Ilia, I'm staying."

"Thank you." Ilia murmured.

"For what? You stayed here, waiting for me to come home and you aren't asking me to apologize? Not even for leaving the ranch unattended?" Link was puzzled. He lifted an eyebrow, earning a small giggle from Ilia.

"You came back, safe and sound," Ilia stated plainly. "That was what I asked you, and you did it."

"Well, still, I'm sorry for leaving everyone like that."

"Oh, Link. Come on, let's wash Epona together. Do you want to?" Ilia asked, stroking her sandy blonde hair out of her face. She was dressed in a new outfit today, her top being blue with white stitches and she was wearing her normal brown shorts.

"Sure."

Ilia walked at a normal speed, scuffing slightly at every step. Her sandals were old and looked dusty, but had no holes. She held her hands together lightly, swinging them when she walked.

Epona looked pleased when Ilia led her to the spring. The leaves in the forest were already starting to turn brown. Some had already fallen to the ground, leaving the trees looking bare in some areas.

Ilia grinned. "You took good care of Epona, Link."

"Mhm."

"Thank you," Ilia said happily. "For everything."

"I should be thanking _you. _Not the other way around, Ilia," Link tried to sound solemn, but ending up with a crooked smile.

Epona took a long drink from the stream while Link and Ilia grabbed the small bucket they had put behind a tree when they were younger. Smiling, they both tried to grab it at the same time. Ilia ended up with it, dunking it in the water and then gently pouring it onto Epona. They traded between two jobs; patting Epona on the back and pouring water on her.

Eventually, Epona was clean and it was already midday. Link grabbed her reins and walked her to his house, Ilia right behind them. "So, do you want to have lunch with us all? It's harvest time, and even though we don't own any crops, we're all having a picnic, as always."

"Village picnic food is always good. And I get to make my grand entrance for all the others," Link grinned. _It's so easy to be around Ilia, but when I'm alone it all comes back…_

"Great! I'm going to go set up with the others. You stay here. I promise nobody will know you're here!"

Ilia hurried off towards town, grinning.

Link threaded some grass together into a bracelet for Ilia to pass time. He picked up some leaves, too, and threaded them into the grass. Soon, Ilia came running back to him and smiled.

"Here. You remember those silly little bracelets I made for you when we were small? I've had a lot of practice since then," Link handed her the bracelet and smiled.

"Thanks. Well, everyone is at the ranch, waiting for me to bring some napkins. They'll be so happy that you're here!" Ilia brushed her hair out of her eyes.

Ilia wasn't taller than Link in any way at all. He had to bend down and she had to keep her arms to her sides so the villagers wouldn't see him immediately. Rusl tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Are you okay, Ilia?" Bo said, confused also. "Why don't you have the napkins?"

"I have something better!" Link stood up and then stepped beside Ilia.

"Link! You're back!" "Link, welcome home!" Everyone was talking at the same time.

The kids rushed up to Link. "Wow, Malo! You've grown a lot! And you, Beth! You all are going to be so tall when you grow up!" Link smiled. Collin tagged along with the kids, not letting anyone push him around as he ran to Link. "Collin, you're tall too! Wow, have I been gone for years?"

Collin spoke louder than the other kids now. He talked over them. "Link, I'm so glad you're home! Everyone thought you weren't going to come, but I knew you were! I just did!"

The other kids now spoke. "We're glad you're back, too! What…never mind."

Link knew they were going to ask, "What did you bring us?" and so he handed his sling shot to them. They grinned and quickly said thanks.

Link sat down on the ground with the other villagers and served himself some beef stew with carrots, celery and onions in it. It tasted like it had garlic, too, but he couldn't be sure. It was wonderful to be home, but he was missing something.

Perhaps a _someone. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Ugh! I've been forgetting—I DO NOT OWN LOZ! I just enjoy skipping disclaimers, LOL. Well, here's another chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it. More writing…yay!**

"Milady, your food is being served. Shall I escort you to the Great Hall?" A guard asked politely, tapping Midna on the shoulder.

Midna nodded, snapping out of her pain-induced trance. She followed closely behind the guard, wincing when he opened the large doors to the castle.

He laughed softly. "Always uneasy when I open the doors," he mumbled.

"Mhm," Midna mumbled back, turning a corner and then frowning. A girl, around twelve years old, was crying in a chair. "What's wrong?" Midna knelt beside her, pulling her hood down to reveal her flame red hair and perfect face.

"Princess, I…"--the girl paused to wipe her tears away—"my father sent me here to become a servant. Where…can I find the servant's quarters?"

Midna cleared her throat. "Up the hall and to the right. There is an elderly woman at a desk. She will help you around. Would you like me to come with you?" Midna grinned slightly.

The girl wiped her face off again, brushing away her black hair, a color rarely seen in the Twili realm. "You, Princess? Really?" the girl beamed, awe-struck. "Isn't it meal time, Milady?"

"Yes, but it's not out of my way. And besides, we wouldn't want you to get lost, would we?" Midna smiled again, standing up and then offering a hand to the girl. "What is your name?"

"My name is Sonia, Princess."

And so the two walked to the Servant's area, and then Midna bid the girl goodbye. So rarely did children come to become a servant! It shocked Midna that a parent would do such a thing. Her own father sending her away. _Is this the fate of the new Twili generation? _

"How sad," Midna mumbled as she walked into the Great Hall. It was the last meal of the day—a large loaf of bread with a large pot of rabbit stew and of course a large hunk of cheese with wine.

Interestingly enough, the Twili Realm had the same animals as the Light Realm. They were harder to find and shy in the Twili Realm, though, but the meat! Oh, the meat was so delicious for everyone that had the chance to eat it. Most villagers hunt their own if they can, but Midna had a fair share of these expensive meats.

Midna brushed away a strand of red hair and sat down, placing her napkin on her lap and grabbing a fork. She dropped it, and before it hit the ground, her "hair" had caught it and handed it to Midna's left hand. She had always wondered why she was the only one with an extra hand when she was younger. Now she knew—it was because she was of royal blood. Royals had abilities.

At the final meal of the day, it was customary for royals to have wine. Midna had never cared for it, and sometimes would excuse herself before she finished drinking it. Her mother had taught her better, but she was young then. And, her other problem with it was that she had a bad experience when she was new to the throne.

She was fourteen. One day, a former High Council member had joined them and had had multiple glasses of wine; he was obviously fond of it. He suddenly stood up, shouting, "How dare you all sit here and obey this GIRL! She is a fake, an impersonation of royalty! Do you not see this, fools?" He pulled the table cloth out from the table, spilling the plates of food and elegant, purple-dyed candles along with everything else onto the floor. Her guards stood up to escort he crazed man out. He continued ranting as they pulled him out. Midna had felt shaken; not scared, but shaken.

But she shook the memory away and drank her glass of red wine with her food. The meat tasted wonderful, but she longed for the pleasant company of Link. She shoved the thought out of her mind. Midna couldn't tell if she could hold her face straight when she thought about him.

After everyone finished eating, Midna stood up and excused herself. Her guards accompanied her to her bedroom and stood at the door. She closed the door and then smiled. Her servants had made her bed and set out a towel. In her bathroom, which was joined to her room, a large tub full of steaming hot water was waiting for her.

Midna often enjoyed her evening baths, but today the silence was not helping her forget about Link. She still remembered his voice, his rough hands, his beautiful eyes…

_I can't do this anymore. This is going to slowly kill me. I have to forget…I just have to._ But deep inside, Midna knew that she didn't want to let go of him. She had to shatter the mirror because there were people in the Twili realm that believed Light-dwellers were the enemy. The ones that caused all of their problems. They were the hateful ones—the ones that killed. But now she asked herself why she didn't shatter the mirror, but stay with him. "So selfish," she muttered.

Midna stepped out of her bath and put her wet hair in her usual style, so it would dry in place. She then shut her window, pulling some black curtains over it. She put her nightgown on and had a few sips of her lukewarm tea. It tasted like oranges tonight.

Tonight, Midna decided to read for a while. She kept some candles on her nightstand, but never had any matches. She could light almost anything on fire with a blink of her eyes, and she did just that, lighting her bed partially. Midna reached for her book, which she hadn't read since she left the Twili realm. It was titled, "_Twili History: What Lies Beyond us"_, and was a wonderful read, as she remembered it. She reached into a drawer of her nightstand and pulled it out—a red leather cover with pieces of purple fabric for text. It was written a few months before she shattered the mirror.

There was never enough light when her candle was on her nightstand. Midna mentally commanded her hair to pick it up and hold it next to her. It did so, and Midna started where she left off.

_"While we do not know why there is another realm, there certainly is one. As most of us know, we come from the Light Realm, but some of us have inherited powers from the Goddesses of Shadow. While there are only three alive at one time, we call them royalty. One that is currently alive is Princess of the Twili, Midna. Another, the Prince of the Shadow People is called Kulak. The other is the ruler of a small population that little is known about—her name is Jauli, Ruler of the Dark. A special ceremony is called for to get into this civilization, and many kidnappings are supposedly originating from them. We cannot entirely blame them for our own mishaps; though they may be connected to many crimes. _

_ An odd connection through the realms is that our Royal Three have markings, as do the three in the Light Realm. Little is known about the matter, but this marking, in the Light Realm, is called a Triforce. The light-dweller's religion is not known about and therefore is not in this text, though I ponder whether they believe in Goddesses, also._

_Another commonly asked question is this: why is our skin different than theirs? We come from that realm, so why would it be different? As we know, here there is no night, nor day. Could the light change our skin? We do not know. _

_An interesting bit of little-known history is that we supposedly were banished from the Light Realm, and started out with white skin. The first Queen was named Asheni, a quite unusual name for a Twili. She, supposedly, was directly banished from the Light Realm and started off with white skin, just as the theory above states. _

_Our population has swelled in the past centuries. We all started out as one group, the Twili. Now we are three, led by gifted rulers. But the question is such; what are the customs of the other two groups? The Shadow People are friendly towards us and engage in activity such as trade frequently. The Dark have appeared hostile towards us and we tend to stray away from them. The only small amount of writing on them is this—Yali, one of the previous Twili Queens discovered this along with a charred body of her sister._

_I write this with haste, for my execution has come close. Sister, do not grieve for me, I was foolish to think I could get near them without consequence. They wear long dresses and the men wear cloaks. They execute anyone who does not wish to join them…and then they give the body back to the ruler of the realm they came from. Maybe this will burn with me, but I pray that it will stay wet, with my tears of hate keeping it from death. Do not send anyone after me for revenge; they have grown in number since my arrival… If you are near them, they will burn you alive as they will do me. Stay away, sister. These people are not to be trifled with."_

Midna shut the book. _To think, her own sister brutally murdered…alone. Is that the fate of the people I love? And so little is known about the Dark! They could be planning an attack at any second. _She slid under her covers and shut her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: *Gulp* I'm afraid to say…I have writer's block. Gah, PM me if you have any ideas. Also, I am LOOKING FOR TONS OF BETAS! I'm hoping to get around 3-6 of 'em. PM me. ******** Also, I am SOOOOOO sorry that I haven't updated. I've been…unable to get on the computer for around two weeks+ my freetime is gone. REALLY SORRY! Ha, ha, ha, CAPs rock. :P**

"Link, wake up!" Malo, Talo, and Beth shouted, all in sync. They were quite loud, when they wanted to be.

Link groaned and sat up. He rubbed his eyes and yelled back, "Coming." He quickly dressed in his tunic, since his farm clothes were dirty and had some holes that he needed to fix. He climbed down the two ladders quickly. He opened the door slowly, afraid it might break. It creaked noisily, stopping halfway. Link didn't try and push it all the way, instead turning to his side awkwardly and squeezing through the tiny thing.

"Hey, Beth, Malo, Talo. How're you kids today?" Link asked, still halfway asleep. He had slept later than usual, although he didn't feel like he had.

"We're good…can we borrow your slingshot again? Please?"

"Well…Okay," Link smiled, walked over to Epona, and reached into her saddle pockets. He pulled out the slingshot along with some pumpkin seeds and tossed it to Talo, who caught it eagerly and started to run into town. "Hang on—tell Rusl that I'll be in Castle town, okay? I need to grab some things," Link called.

"Alright!" Beth called, tagging along with the other kids. Link smiled.

Epona stomped impatiently at the ground. She, obviously, didn't want Link to bring his sword, shield, and bow, but didn't move away when he put them in her saddle. She also seemed to be eager for Castle Town's nice, cloudy weather.

Link mounted Epona sluggishly and led her through Faron Woods' curvy dirt path. He almost fell asleep as Epona's gallop turned into a slow walk. After a long ride, he made it to Hyrule Field. Though it was mostly safe with Gannondorf defeated, a few beasts still lurked in the shadows. Their numbers were most likely growing quickly, but very few people had been mobbed, so he didn't bother to be wary.

_What's that?_ Link thought. There were three green moving objects, one which seemed to have a stick, in a circle around a brown and reddish object. As Link got closer, he realized what the green things were—moblins. And the stick was a spear. He still couldn't tell what the brown thing was, but he drew his sword and uttered a loud, "Hiyah!" and continued onwards.

One moblin started to flee. Another came charging forward at Link, spear outstretched. Link reached his sword out carefully and loped off the iron spearhead before it could do any damage. He quickly slowed Epona to a halt and dismounted. He pulled out a small ox whip, no bigger than a foot, and gently hit her with it. She galloped forward quickly. _Good. She won't get hurt if she's away._

The moblin, with nothing but a spearhead, ran towards Link again. He slashed his blade in a full circle, knocking the moblin over and severely injuring it. He ran to it and finished it off.

The last moblin fled already. All that was left was the brown and red object. Link approached it cautiously, keeping his sword out. The object was breathing in quick rasps. When he got within ten feet of it, it threw its arms around its head and slowed its breathing. _Goddesses! It's a human!_

"Are you okay?" Link asked, sheathing his sword and sitting down next to the man, around twenty years of age.

The man moaned. "I'll…be…just f-fine," He rasped. "Can y-you…take me…to a d-doctor?" His brown archer's outfit heaved inwards and then outwards.

"Goddesses, no! You'll die before then. Here," Link replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a horse call. Epona galloped back wearily. Link stood up and grabbed a white handkerchief hastily, then sat back down. "Where are you injured?"

"My l-eg, I think."

Link quickly wrapped the clean cloth across the long diagonal slash in the man's left leg. He winced, but the man didn't pull away when Link tied the handkerchief as tightly as possible. "What's your name?" Link asked.

"Éléazar...what's y-yours?" Éléazar stuttered.

"I'm Link," Link said, offering his hand to Éléazar.

He gasped. "I can't believe I di-didn't recognize you, Great Hero! Please forgive my t-thoughtlessness," Éléazar apologized, wincing slightly still. He grasped Link's hand and pushed himself up with his right leg. "Word has s-spread of y-your deeds."

"It's okay. Please, call me Link." Link hastily called Epona. She sped back faithfully to him. Link pulled himself onto her first, but then extended a hand to Éléazar. He looked at it for a moment, but then used both hands and pulled himself onto Epona.

Peasants stared as Link and Éléazar galloped through Castle town's cobblestone path. A doctor set up business nearby. Once they found the medium size home, older than most of the others, Link put both his hands on Epona's left side and pushed himself off her. He led her and Éléazar to a small collapsed building with a small, four foot tall post sticking out of the debris. Link tied Epona's reins to it and walked around to Éléazar's side. He offered a hand.

Éléazar gladly took Link's hand and bit his lip as he lifted his bad leg over Epona. His face was glistening with sweat in spite of the clouds and his once brown archer attire was reddish with his blood. Link could understand the people staring at them, rude as it was. Éléazar hobbled to the door of the building.

"Oh, my, what do we have here?" The doctor, very elderly, ran his eyes along Éléazar's wounds. "Primrose, tend to this young man, please. I have to check a few things."

A young woman, no older than fifteen, emerged from another room. The door was hidden by a bookshelf in the back area of the room. It slid noisily along the floor. "Right this way, please. What's your name, sir?" she trilled.

"Éléazar…I think I might've…hurt my leg," he gestured towards his injured leg.

"We'll clean it up in no time. You might need someone to tend to your leg daily, though, which is a burden I can't take on. I only work here three days a week, you see," she said apologetically. "What happened?"

"Moblin attack," Link explained.

"Oh, dear. You should notify the guards, they're right outside, doing patrols."

"Yes, I'll do that. Éléazar, she said something about someone helping you around and treating your leg for you? Well, I was thinking, maybe I can let you stay at my place."

"Really, Hero- I mean, Link?"

"Yeah, I could use something to do during the day, anyway," Link said. "Alright, Primrose, I'll be back in a few minutes. Gotta do some shopping and tell the guards about the attack."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Sorry for the shortness…had to get to bed. Almost eleven, ya know, and I had to leave it at a nice lil' cliffy. :)**

"Milady! Milady, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but Kulak is in the Great Hall, awaiting your arrival!"

Midna awoke, her heart thundering, to her guard's gruff voice. _Kulak, Prince of the Shadow People?_ She questioned her servant's voice. Had he misspoken? It was such a long journey from their domain to the Twili's. Nevertheless, she rose without a word and dressed in a long, satin dress which had long, black sleeves and a long V neck. It stopped at Midna's knees; standard formal wear.

She walked out into the hallway, greeted by twelve guards, all fully suited in shiny suits of armor. "What's going on?"

"The Shadow People are under siege," One guard explained. "The Prince has come to ask if he and as many survivors—"

"_Survivors? Under siege?" _Midna hissed, frantically searched through her memory to see who could have done this. Rebels? No, it couldn't be. "Lead me to him."

The guards led Midna, silently conversing with herself, into the Grand Hall. She gasped when she gazed at the Prince, sitting at the end of the table. He wore a long black trench coat with black leggings and a white undershirt that was smeared with ash. Midna looked at his face, also smeared with ash, and tried to look calm.

"I'm very sorry to intrude at this inconvenient time, but I have a favor to ask of you. May my people take refuge here?" Kulak asked, calm as always. His deep blue skin, darker than the Twili's, looked black.

"Of course," Midna smiled at him. "But first, tell me what's going on!" She exclaimed.

"It's a very long story, but The Dark have…invaded. I'm afraid we were terribly under armed. We had to evacuate. We began our journey here about three days ago. We left at night, though it didn't matter—the flames lit the entire sky. We weren't followed; we made sure."

"Great. How many did you bring?" Midna asked, sarcastically at first, but then serious.

"About three hundred…So many were already dead, plus I couldn't warp them all," Kulak sighed sadly. Of course he was sad. His people were slaughtered, his kingdom in flames, his friends and family possibly gone…

"Alright, then. Guards, I need you to order some servants to take the emergency Sols out and put them in the east wing," Midna called.

"We brought a few our selves, Princess Midna," Kulak said quickly.

"Good- please use them, instead, guards."

(***)

Things went on as normal, but the east wing of the palace was now occupied with Kulak's people. Today was the day they planned to warp themselves, along with a few guards, to the ruined city Coyla. By now, The Dark would be long gone.

Midna turned and asked, "Are you ready?"

Her guards nodded. "Kulak?"

"Ready," he said.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on the Shadow Palace. Midna felt the smooth particles of Twilight sweep her away. She opened her eyes and she was at her destination.

Midna ushered everyone forward. They made a line and started into the palace, Midna and Kulak in the back. They stepped through a surprisingly preserved door and realized it was a servant's room. There was no one there. The guards, uninterested, turned around. As soon as the last guard was outside, Kulak stepped forward to leave.

_Slam!_

The door shut in front of him. No one had pulled it closed, and Kulak certainly didn't shut it himself. The door closed itself.

"So you guys finally came," A female, menacing voice said.

A figure stepped from behind the dresser in the corner.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone. I just released Midna's POV, so I'm kinda in a hurry to finish this chapter. Well…I'll shut up and let you guys read, but I'd like to thank all my reviewers and my sister, Lish (fishylishy) and of course my other family including my mom and brother. By the way, Nintendo owns LOZ!**

Link hastily moved his sword off his small dining table and onto the sofa. It was the first time he had ever seated another person at the table in his home. He had to dig through his basement to find two placemats and napkins, but they were terribly dusty, so he went outside to beat them on a tree. He had no idea what he was going to make. _Maybe an omelet with some Ordon Goat Cheese? _Link mentally nodded. He had to run over to the small lake-like area where that monkey stole Uli's cradle to fish for dinner, later.

"Link?" Éléazar droned, slightly still asleep. He was in Link's farm clothes, which Link let him have. "Sorry for scaring you, I just wanted to ask what you're doing at this hour."

"Well, it's already about eleven o'clock," Link explained, continuing with grabbing some old plates. He set them on the table and grabbed a knife from a secret sheath tied to the dining room table leg. Éléazar gasped. "Ordon people like to be well equipped," Link mumbled. He cut the large hunk of cheese in half and then paused. "I'll be right back."

He hurried outside and into town. Link knew where the chickens laid their eggs—everyone did, but nobody talked about it at all, because they were afraid others would steal too many. He crossed the bridge he hid under when the hawk attacked him-he winced at the sting of his memory-and climbed the latter. There was a huge tree and a downwards slope. He wrapped his arms around the tree and hauled himself up its large trunk, grabbing the first available branch and then he swung himself, carefully, onto the piece of Bo's roof that was supposedly secret. There lay a nest of chicken eggs. He grabbed four and scrambled back to his house.

"So, Éléazar, where are you from? What's your story?" Link asked, pausing for a sip of home-made orange juice.

"My story, eh? Well, it's kind of sad. You sure you want to hear it?"

"Yeah, pretty sure."

Éléazar sighed and then began. "When I was a baby, my dad joined the Hylian Forces. He ended up in a bar fight at Telma's bar. He was fatally injured and I never got to meet him. Then there was my older childhood. I remember that day, that cursed day. They actually _called_ it the Cursed Day. Some guy wrote a book about it. Well, it was ten years ago. I hadn't realized women were even allowed to fight, but Zelda had just come to rule and she wouldn't have it. So my mom comes downstairs and says, 'I'll be back at sundown,' and then next thing I hear she's dead, shot dead with a fire arrow. There was this freaky monster vs. human thing that day. But I found my dad's archer outfit and that's what I inherited. So, basically, it _sucked._"

"Sorry, that must've been hard. You want to hear my sad story?" Link felt bad for the guy. He thought _his_ story was bad. But it was. His mom and dad weren't in his memory. Maybe they knew the Tri-Force was semi-cursed. Supposedly, the child is abandoned if he has a marking on his hand. Of course, it was also blessed, but ½ and ½ isn't enough for Hylians.

"If it's okay," Éléazar responded, taking a bite of omelet.

"I'll give you a summary. I chase after my friend, you know, Ilia, and there's this wall. I get close to it, and this arm, all black and huge, grabs me by the throat and drags me in. Well, I'm in Faron Woods, and there are these black things in the air, and it's twilight, when it was just broad daylight, and this _thing_ that the arm belonged to. Later I heard they're called shadow beasts. But all of a sudden, I turn into-I know this is unbelievable-a wolf. And then I pass out.

"When I wake up, I'm in this cold jail cell. After a few hours of chewing at my chain, I see this figure that's floating and it's tiny. It laughed and tells me if I'm its slave, it'll get me outta there. Its name is Midna, and she was cursed to be an imp." He sighed sadly. "She's mean, and she's quite annoying, but I grew to like her. A lot more than I should've. But anyway, she doesn't tell me where we are until we're at the roof. We're actually on the roof of the castle. And we jump in a window, and there she is. Zelda herself, in this black cloak.

"After that, we have to help the Light Spirits get the light back. You must've heard of the Twilight Realm, right? Well, it really exists. I went there, and Midna's from there. But anyway, we restore light to places and go into the Temples-every single one of them-to get these things called the Fused Shadows, which'll help Midna and I to kill Zant-he's the bad guy-and then all of it's over. Wrong. We go to Arbiter's Grounds in the desert and finish off the monsters there, but when we get to the Mirror Chamber, the mirror's broken, and we have to go to the Snow Peak to get a mirror shard, the Temple of Time, and the City in the Sky.

"Then we go warp-teleport, like Zelda can do-and we're at the Mirror Chamber. So the mirror's fixed, and we go to kill Zant in Midna's palace-she's a princess-and he's powerful. He can manipulate his surroundings. But after that, Midna finished him off. But he can be revived by this guy called Gannondorf. So we set off to kill him.

"Skipping to the end, Midna and I really have something more than friendship. But I should've known she wouldn't be staying and I wouldn't be visiting. She was about to say something, but she just said 'See you later.' And then she started to cry. Well, she's really powerful. Her tear slides down her cheek and then she pushes it forward. It shattered the mirror. And that's it," Link sighed the last part.

Éléazar seemed saddened. "Did I upset you?" Link hurriedly asked.

"No, no. I'm just thinking about what why you turned into a wolf."

Link held up his arms. "What's different about the back of my hands?"

Éléazar gasped. "So you _are _the Divine Beast, the Hero, the Protector of Hyrule! Goddesses, I'm so lucky!"

"Lucky? No. Try getting to meet Zelda, having her shoot blessed arrows while you're on horseback. _That,_ my friend, is lucky. But Goddesses, I really think she thought it was for my own good or something. Midna wouldn't have done it otherwise..."

**Hey, not too bad for a rushed chappie, eh? Review and favorite please! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Dear GOD, I've been so busy! You'll have to forgive me. Here's Midna's POV, and don't forget to review the FF that's keeping me up at night! Also, Lilisian is a member of The Dark. =D And I'm also doing a first-person thing in here. From now on, it'll be first person, but I wanted to ease into it. So, here it is!**

Midna whirled around. "Who are you?"

"My name is Jauli, or Your Highness, if you wish to flatter me. But really, does it matter?" Jauli said, grinning. "If either of you move, you both die. Guards?" She snapped twice. The door opened and three cloaked figures, two with scythes, one with a spear, appeared. "Secure them. If they move, cut their throats. Call the fortune teller in. Anyway, you two need to step into the center of the room and put your hands over that bowl," Jauli pointed to an ancient looking, red bowl. It had several cracks.

Jauli put her hand behind her and waited. A guard handed her a sheathed dagger in her hand and she unsheathed it. The sound seemed to be music to her ears. Jauli quickly poked her finger and let the drop of blood fall into the bowl. She grabbed Kulak's forefinger and poked it, too. The blood dropped into the bowl.

Midna sat on her hands. Jauli twirled her finger once and the two remaining guards lifted Midna into a standing position by her elbows. Jauli walked towards her and poked her finger, bowl in hand. The blood mixed into a dark red.

The door opened and a terrified-looking woman with a crystal ball entered with a guard behind her. Kulak's face fell as he observed her poor condition. She was thin and had been beaten. Her hands were cut and scarred, as well as one black eye and numerous bruises. She wasn't Twili-her skin was too dark- but she certainly wasn't Lilisian, either. So she was a captured Coyla citizen.

"Do it, now!" Jauli ordered.

"Show me, O Goddesses of Shadow…" The fortune teller murmured, waving her hands over and around the ball.

Jauli jumped in front of the woman and her crystal. "Blindfold them, you dummies!"

The guards closed in around Midna and Kulak. They held long lengths of black fabric. Kulak didn't struggle. Midna tried to crawl away, but a guard held her head still and tied her hands behind her back. Midna assumed they did this with Kulak, too, but she couldn't be sure.

Someone—probably Jauli—shifted closer to Midna and Kulak. Jauli started mumbling, almost _chanting_, words. Midna recognized the language as ancient Twili. She only understood every other word, though. "Heal…the…will…fail…now," Jauli chanted.

The fortune teller was probably the one that gasped. Midna heard a faint _plop,_ then a _shing_.

"We'll be on our way. Put them under. Bring the slaves. I want to be off my midnight," Jauli snapped.

A foul smelling odor entered the room. Everyone else left, but they left Midna and Kulak. They both coughed violently for a bit of time, and then they blacked out.

*****

"How much did they inhale, damn it! Is she even _breathing_?!" Jauli snapped. She was yelling, but to Midna it was a harsh yet quiet whisper. Of course, Midna was still waking up.

"Ma'am, the woman isn't awake, but the man is. He's silent as the grave, though. We're about ten minutes away now."

"Midna, you stupid fool, wake up or I'll leave you to die, right here, right now," Jauli walked towards Midna. She yanked on Midna's hair, now unstyled and to her waist. Midna's eyes shot open and she moaned. The world spun at a dizzying speed.

"Get up, you two," Jauli ordered, ripping off the blindfolds. They were in a horse drawn carriage, going very, very fast. There were two chairs, one for Jauli, one for her guard. Midna and Kulak were on the floor, bouncing up and down at the slightest bump.

They did as told, seeing as Jauli was armed and dangerous with a scythe of her own. Kulak glanced at Midna nervously. His once spiky, black hair was now messy and curly to his ears.

There was a screeching noise as the carriage stopped. "Get out. We will see _you_ later," She shot a glance at the guard.

"Where are we going, you vile _criminal_?" Midna hissed. She held still and kept her face straight as Jauli advanced towards her and put the curved scythe around her neck. Midna didn't move.

"Do you know how _satisfying _it would be to kill you? But no. I need you, don't you understand? So keep quiet or I'll let you stay with the guards. They're a little rough, you know. Maybe that wouldn't be so _pleasant?_" Jauli hissed. She removed the scythe. "Come on. Don't want to be left behind, do you?"

Kulak shuddered and hurried after Midna and Jauli.

The Twilight was eerily beautiful, as always. The air was pleasant, but smelled like smoke. Midna saw why. Her castle, although not burning, was surrounded by fire. Midna knew what this was: A fire barrier. They were used when the castle was threatened. She knew that archers would be firing from the balconies.

Midna let out a wordless sound of anger and reached out to strike Jauli. She thought twice of it and drew back immediately. Jauli smiled and started to run. "I know you two can run. Hurry up, or I'll burn your body with my firewood."

They hurried after her. Suddenly, she stopped. "You two, take my hands. Now," Jauli hissed. She shut her eyes and murmured a spell.

Then they were running again. Arrows were fired at them, but they bounced off Jauli's barrier. Midna mouthed, "Hit her with your best shot when we're at our destination." She hoped he understood.

The barrier started to fade when they approached the main square, at the landing of the Twilight Mirror.

"_No!_" Midna screeched, observing the newly formed mirror. It barely reflected the fire surrounding the doors of the castle. It was red…the same color of the blood collected in the bowl.

Midna let go of Jauli's hand and tried to hit her with an energy blast. It shattered when it collided with Jauli's barrier.

_That barrier won't last much longer…_ Midna thought. Jauli smiled and reached her scythe out of the barrier. She swung it at Midna, hitting Midna's left hand, leaving a smooth cut on the back of it. Midna held it to her chest, but started running towards the courtyard.

"Stop this. NOW!" Jauli screamed, releasing Kulak for a split second. She held her hand up to the sky and Midna ducked. She couldn't move now—Jauli's powerful freezing spell had hit her. Jauli rushed forward to grab Midna's shoulder and haul her along.

Soon it started to wear off. Midna could move, but only minute amounts and they were already walking up the steps, avoiding fire and arrows. Kulak opened his mouth to speak, but Jauli let go of his hand and slapped him. He gasped and kept silent.

Midna felt the Twilight sweep her away into the Light Realm.

------------------------------------First Person------------------------------------------------------

I felt the sunlight before I saw it. The sensation was unmistakable. I wasn't ashamed of myself for trying to stop this from happening—I cared enough to try, at least. The gash on my hand was just a painful reminder of stubbornness and I wouldn't forget it soon.

But I didn't have time to think. Jauli laughed and Kulak sighed. I could move now—not that I _should_, but I had to. I had to get away, whether Kulak was coming or not.

I opened my eyes and almost laughed at Kulak's face, a mix of uncertainty and anger. He turned—slowly, little bits at a time—and raised his hand as if to brush a strand of hair out of Jauli's eyes. Instead, he punched her clear in the face. Her barrier wavered and I warped us to the place I knew I shouldn't go to; Ordon Spring.

I caught a glimpse of Jauli's face, bleeding slightly, and smiled.

"Where is this…and what are those?" Kulak panicked, pointing to the fairies floating just above the water and the orb of light that was the freaky head-fairy.

"Ordon Spring. We don't have light _or_ shadow spirits in the Twilight Realm, but here they have…_Light Spirits_. And fairies, which are those," I explained. "Follow me. I…know a place we can go."

I started walking through the small forested area that connected Ordon to the spring and Faron Woods. I was amazed at the difference of summer and fall here in Ordon. The trees were mostly evergreens, but the small amounts of deciduous trees were almost bare. The weather was colder than I would have thought—I guess the Light Realm had spoiled me, weather wise.

After what seemed like a decade, Kulak and I reached Link's tree house. I blinked back guilty tears as I climbed the ladder, hoping there weren't any spiders—I didn't care to look.

"Wait…I don't think this is a good idea, Midna," Kulak's voice edged towards panic, but his face was smooth. Just below his nose, there was a small red mark where Jauli had stricken him. He looked away, embarrassed, when I glared at him.

"I know what I'm doing. Come on up," I said, gesturing for him to come up the ladder. I knocked on the door and sucked in a breath, ready for anything. Maybe he wouldn't remember me. Maybe he wouldn't help. Maybe…

**Okay, that was really, really long. I'm glad I got that outta my system, though. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Okay, starting Link's First Person. :) Hope y'all enjoy it. By the way, PLEASE notify me if my Link's first person sucks—I'm thinking about switching to Midna's POV only, if I suck at Link's. Also, who else uses Sticky Keys?**

_Goddesses,_ another_ Green Gill. Can't I catch at least a catfish?_ I mentally complained. _I hope Éléazar has been opening the door. I thought Ilia was bringing some bread._ I kept the fish and put it in the basket containing ten small Green Gills and only one catfish. I smiled, remembering the day I caught my second fish. I tried to release it, but the cat took it and went back home, proud of its accomplishment. I met Midna several days after that. I winced at my own pain.

Even with a gaping hole in my heart, I could smile and laugh and be _normal_. But when I was done doing those things, I would be alone, lost inside my own misery. I didn't talk about it, taking aside the time at my house with Éléazar, but that wasn't really _talking _about it. I just briefly mentioned my relationship with Midna.

I heard two distinct splashes and saw two blackish things enter the water upriver. I dropped my fishing rod and drew my sword, ready for combat.

I dropped my sword as I took in one figure.

It was tall and slender, swimming gracefully to the platform I was on. Even in the water, I noticed its fiery red hair and blue skin. It was female—making my best case scenario true—and had a beautiful, heart-shaped face. She lifted herself up, right next to me. A million memories hit me—the time she stroked my cheek in the desert, the time I ran up the hill to greet Midna-her miracle resurrection-, the sad look in her eyes before she shattered the mirror.

"I—I—I..." Was all she could say before I embraced her.

We stayed like that for a while. I could tell she was crying softly. I let go and wiped away her tears. She glanced away for a brief second and glared at the other…person? Thing? I couldn't tell. It moved away, out of view.

"I'm sorry," Midna whispered.

"I thought I'd never see you again," I whispered back. She pressed her lips against mine lightly and pulled away when a coughing noise began.

Midna sighed. "Do you not know how to _swim?_ Get out of the water, damn it," She called, irritated. The noise got louder and the black thing got closer.

It pulled itself up out of the water. It was a tall, skinny man with black hair and blue skin. He shook violently and Midna stepped away from me and hit his back, so hard I thought he might fall over. He stopped coughing.

"Thanks," He said sarcastically.

"I told you I'd see you later, right?" Midna raised an eyebrow at me and I smiled. "This is Kulak. Kulak, Link, Link, Kulak," She introduced me to the man. He reached a trembling hand out to shake mine.

"We need…help, Link," Kulak said. I could tell he was nervous. But why? If he was from Midna's realm, he could look out for himself. Was he afraid of the unknown? That would be understandable.

"With what?" I asked. I regretted leaving Éléazar at home—he probably was scared out of his wits if these two knocked on the door.

"Link, my realm…it's in trouble." Midna sighed.

"Hang on—could you have come back here all along?" I asked, starting to feel hurt. Was she using me?

"Of _course_ not, Link. Let's find a place to sit, then we can talk. Okay?"

"Okay," I said.

************************************************************************

"We were assessing the damage of the fire, thinking we were safe. Well, we weren't. The door slammed—on its own—and the leader of the Lilisians took us captive. We unwillingly preformed an ancient ritual that, I guess, reformed the mirror. We were forced here and Kulak attacked Jauli—the leader. We were able to warp out of there to Ordon, and that's pretty much it," Midna finished.

Éléazar squirmed. "And you want us to help?" He asked. I closed my eyes for a brief second. I did this to calm myself, to help me focus on my goal, even if I didn't know the goal. And I saw my invisible goal—Hyrule Castle.

"What about Zelda?" I asked. I was starting to panic. Zelda. Was she okay? What did they do to her?

"Zelda! She exists?" Kulak exclaimed. "I didn't know much about the Light Realm—but I heard of her. Word travels, even through the Realms—"

Midna glared at him. "Damn," She muttered. "We've got to get there—fast. Before we start saving my realm, yours has to be safe. And it's not. Zelda can't take care of herself—too self sacrificing. We've got to go, now."

I nodded. "Éléazar, stay here. You'll get hurt if you're on that leg. Kulak?" I instructed. Would Kulak come?

"I'll keep the village safe," Kulak's face lit up for a brief second, then dimmed back to a distant memory. His people, slaughtered. His family, gone. I wished I could help him, but time was the only cure for sadness—I knew this well.

"What's the plan, Midna? Are we going to fight our way through or just slink in and out?"

"They're strong—we can't fight them alone. And they're bound to be in numbers around the castle. So slink in and out it is," she replied.

I took the Master Sword and my shield. I didn't take the bow—why would I need it? The only things I took were my sword, and shield. Midna snapped and with a small snap, something appeared in her hand. "You have a basement, right?" She confirmed.

"Yes."

"Okay, you guys, stay _here._" Midna ordered. She stalked off to the cellar.

A few minutes later, Midna emerged wearing a one shoulder, tunic-style plate body and a silver skirt. She had chainmail tights and black, elbow length gloves. She murmured something and a basic sword appeared in her hand, along with a shield, about the size of mine.

Éléazar's eyes widened when she made the items appear out of thin air. I smiled reassuringly at him and he relaxed. "We'll be back."

We rushed out the door and both gasped.

The entire place reeked of smoke. Midna said it was bonfires—I thought it was much, much worse than a simple fire.

"Can you warp us there?" I asked quietly. Luckily, Ordon was surrounded by trees and mountains, so we were safe, in a way. Still, it was better safe than sorry.

"Yeah, but they'll swarm on us. Remember, they're not moblins or Keese. They're trained _killers_, and they look human. They have extremely dark skin, closer to black than blue," Midna explained. "Remember the Dark Crystal?"

I swallowed loudly. Where was the last place I saw that? Would we have to walk otherwise?

"Well, I took it as a souvenir. Hope you didn't miss it too much," Midna winked at me. She snapped, and, as always, it appeared in her hand. "Zelda, here we come."

She pressed it to my forehead and I felt my body morph, my mind take a new form once again. In wolf form, I had one goal, and one goal only. Then she warped us to the Castle Town eastern gate.

We were quickly greeted by fire arrows—we ducked for cover in a nearby bush. Midna transformed me back to a human. "Okay, I'll provide the distraction. I'll meet you at the gate," she whispered. I nodded and sprinted for the gate, not looking back when the sonic _BOOM!_ erupted.

Once I was to the gate, hiding behind the doors, I saw what was happening. Midna, crafty as she was, was blowing up the ground around the bridge, creating a smoky fog that allowed her to dive over the newly created ditch and through the gates without being attacked.

"Creative," I whispered, peeking through the other side of the gates. Two Hylians were being escorted north, towards the Castle, by someone in a cloak. "What will they do to them?" I whispered to Midna.

"Probably make them slaves…or worse," she whispered back.

We stalked into the South end of Castle Town. Once we were in, we hid behind walls, crates, and stands to avoid being seen by the Lilisian guards. They changed positions every once and a while, so we moved forward then. I was almost spotted by a guard—one saw the end of my shoe as I dove to cover, and it came over to investigate. Midna clenched her fists and shut her eyes. A strong wind, centered on the Lilisian sent it skipping back about three feet. It looked around, but saw nothing. It continued looking for me, but I had moved forward enough not to be seen.

The square was different. Lilisians danced and played our Hylian instruments in insane ways. They grabbed a flute and played it upside down, then, frustrated, rang a bell and a Hylian woman, around thirty, ran into the square. They ordered in accented Hylian to play it. When she played, they laughed and grabbed it from her, trying again to play it for themselves. Her long blonde hair came out of her ponytail and blew in one's face. "Ha, ha! Its hair is

Midna made a sound of repulsion as we scurried along the buildings, passing the West wing entrance and edging along the wall to the Castle entrance.

"Have they found her yet?" A male, deep voice hissed. Midna and I dove for cover and listened.

"No, not yet," Another answered, this time high, but low for a female.

Midna and I waited until they took their conversation into the courtyard, then Midna snapped. "I figured we would need these," She pulled out my claw shots and rolled her eyes. "Well, you'll need both, but how will I get up?"

"Hang on tight, Midna," I teased. She put her arm around my shoulders and I claw shotted onto some ivy that, conveniently, hung fifty feet off the ground, barely in reach of the claw shot. She almost shrieked at first, then regained herself as we got higher and higher up the castle.

Zelda's bedroom window was closed, but Midna told me if I could get there, she would break it open. I risked it and jumped down onto a nearby roof. A guard looked straight at me and charged, spear held low and ready to harm me.

I attacked from the front while Midna jumped behind it and we both fought quickly and silently. The Lilisian was strong and nearly chopped my arm off, but Midna finished it off. I grimaced at the gruesome body and then, with a glare that said, _"It might've killed a Hylian—no guilt needed"_, Midna and I took off running towards Zelda's window.

"Careful, there might be guards," I whispered. Midna rolled her eyes at my warning and dashed up the stairs, leaving me struggling to keep up.

I crashed into Midna's shoulder at the entrance to Zelda's room. I walked around her, unsure of what was the problem. I turned to Midna for an explanation.

Her horrorstruck eyes were frozen on the center of the room, where a stone statue stood.

I understood once I examined the gray stone figure.

The statue had long, wispy hair and a royal dress. The face was heart shaped and beautiful. The eyes were shut, the arm pointing down and the other to her heart. "Zelda," Midna choked.

Only then did I realize that Midna had not ever hated Zelda, or even disliked her. She, as she said ever so long ago, would never wish harm upon Zelda, never even a bit. She was against me fighting Zelda when Gannondorf possessed her, because of the possibility I might hurt her, not Gannondorf.

I knew what this meant.

Zelda had either frozen herself eternally so she wouldn't have to be tortured by the enemy, or she didn't have a choice. It was obvious that the Lilisians hadn't been here—so what could have done this?

"The…the dungeons," Midna whispered. Her pain hurt me, too. I wanted to cover my ears to stop her pain from entering my mind again. Her voice was broken and rough.

Midna uttered a spell and told me to take her hand and jump. I trusted her with my life—so I did.

Before we hit the floor, a cushiony waft of air slowed us down and we landed running. The dungeon entrance was a set of granite stairs leading into the ground. Instead of a floor, it was dirt. There were muddy spots and, surprisingly, there was no one in the cells, take aside a few rotting corpses.

As we went farther down the dungeon, another set of stairs led deeper, while the hallway ended. We investigated farther.

The air was thick and humid. The smell was of corpses and decaying material. I took off my hat and fanned myself with it.

"Link, stop panting, that's getting on my nerves," Midna whispered to me. I raised an eyebrow.

"That's not me panting, Midna."

We both ducked in time, before a set of long, needle-like spines flew at us.

**Not bad, eh? Everyone, be prepared for an Author's Notice for the next chapter. Read that after this chapter—I want you guys to read it, you hear? LOL, 6 pages. 2266 words. Wow. **


	9. Author's Note

Okay, thanks everyone for reading this. The bolded parts are the things I want you guys to pay attention to.

This story is going to be changing to **slightly Author's Universe**. Why? Because I **don't own the OOT game and don't feel like watching a walkthrough of it**. I'll explain later, 'cuz I don't want to spoil this to everyone just yet. **;)**

_**WARNING WARNING WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!**_

As most of you have probably guessed, I've brought Sheik into my story. I've seen some people argue about Sheik's gender and background through reviews on a story, and frankly, I _don't want it happening on my story._ Please don't PM me about it, either. That crap gives me a headache.

**That said and done, here's a poll and maybe a sneak peak!**

_**End Spoiler Zone**_

Question 1: Do you think Éléazar should find the woman of his dreams? What about Kulak?

A: Éléazar should find a girl.

B: Éléazar shouldn't, but Kulak should.

C: Let them be single. LOL.

Question 2: What do you think happened to Zelda?

A: She was turned to stone by a Lilisian!

B: She committed suicide.

C: She turned herself to stone because she was going to die anyway.

D: Other.

Question 3: What's your overall rating of the story?

A: 1/5.

B: 2/5.

C: 3/5.

D: 4/5.

E: 5/5.

Question 4 (non-multiple choice): Why did you rate it as you did?

**And now, the sneak peak!**

"You…you _made _her turn to stone?" I stood up and took a step towards her.

"No, no! Of course not. It's an involuntary choice for both of us. Blame the Goddesses, not me. Do you think I liked being frozen for ten thousand years?"

"I don't know, _maybe _you _did_," I snapped. "Or maybe you're lying."

"Midna, calm down," Kulak said. I turned to him.

"Do you know what _murderously enraged _means?"

"I believe so," Kulak responded.

"Well, let's put it this way, I'm _murderously enraged_ right now. And you're not helping," I said with venom.

Kulak didn't respond.

"I know you think I purposely harmed Zelda, Midna, but I didn't. If you don't believe me, that's, well, not exactly _fine. _But you can kill me if you want. But Zelda doesn't come back—ever—if I die."

"You could be lying," I hissed.


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Here's Midna's POV! Also, just in case you want to get me a gift or something *wink* my Birthday's on May 6. LOL, enjoy the chapter. LOL, I'll quit yapping now.**

I automatically sent an energy blast flying at the cell the attack had come from. With a loud _BOOM_, the metal twisted and collapsed upon itself, leaving time for Link and I to take cover.

"Who are you?" A loud, feminine voice demanded. I didn't dare peek out from behind the wooden crate we were hiding behind.

"Depends on who _you_ are," I called back. I heard Link draw his sword. I did the same. Another bunch of needles hit the wall closer to us. I motioned for Link to move over. He shot a confused glance at me, but listened.

I put my sword in my left hand and lay my shield down on the ground. I stuck the tip of my finger out of the protection of the crate and sent another energy blast, much harder than the last.

Our attacker's protection, or what was left of it, crumbled to dust. "Fuck," the woman muttered. Footsteps led farther down the corridor of cells, but stopped abruptly and then there was a metallic _shing_.

I peeked out, although it wasn't the smartest idea. A woman, around nineteen, leaned against a cell not too far from ours. She was dressed in a blue suit with white markings on it. Over her mouth was a faded white cloth; on her cheek there was a horizontal cut that started from her nose to the start of her ear. Bangs of bloody hair covered her eyes. The rest of her hair was held in a tight, blonde braid that went to her thighs.

Without warning, Link jumped out of our sanctuary and, shield ready, stood toe-to-toe with her. I jumped out, too, so he wouldn't be fighting alone.

The woman stared intently at Link's right hand, and then dropped her sword. I didn't understand. Was she afraid of his Tri Force? "Thank the Goddesses," She muttered, and, still leaning against the cell door, slid down to the ground. When Link lifted his sword, her face turned panicked and she held up her right hand.

Link gasped, and I hurried to get a better look.

On the back of her bloody hand was a Tri Force, too.

"Tri Force…of Power?" Link asked. He flushed, as if he didn't mean to say it out loud.

"No…it's Wisdom," She said. "The name's Sheik," Sheik added.

I was next to her in an instant, sword to her throat. "What. Did. You. Do. To. ZELDA?" I yelled. The sound echoed through the vacant dungeon.

"Nothing."

"Then _how_ is it that _you_ have the Tri Force of _Wisdom_?" I demanded. I froze when a low, male voice echoed back to us. A guard had heard me.

"Link, we need to go," I pulled out the Dark Crystal and he stepped close to me, his mouth to my ear.

"We need her."

"No, we need to _kill_ her, Link," I whispered back. Sheik was already getting up.

Link started to protest, but Sheik interrupted. "There's an exit up ahead. I'm leaving—"

"No, you aren't. You _will_ stay with us until I believe you aren't Zelda's murderer," I snapped, still quiet. The guard started to pick up the pace now, and I removed the sword. "You will show us the way out. _NOW,_" I said through clenched teeth. If this woman killed Zelda, she'd be lucky if Link killed her first.

Sheik nodded and, with silent footsteps, dashed down the corridor. This only convinced me that she obviously _was_ an assassin.

Link and I were right behind her. She jumped up onto another wooden crate in a cell and used the palm of her hand to bash the ceiling. A trap door opened with a creak and she lifted herself out. I followed shortly after.

Huge storm clouds hovered over us. It wasn't until I was totally out of the dungeon that I noticed the small snow flakes falling. They stuck to the ground, coating it inch by inch. I looked around and grabbed Sheik's arm roughly. Link took my hand and we ran to the side of the building.

"_If _that's a real Tri Force, you should be able to warp to Ordon without transforming, _Sheik," _I added extra venom to her name.

"But you always transformed me into a wolf, Midna. Wouldn't it be the same for her, or would she turn into a beast?" Link asked.

"I warped Zelda and you out without transforming you both. I used most of my power trying not to transform you two, but I managed. You have that Red Chu Jelly, right? Then I'll be fine," I replied. I tried to be nice, but my voice came out bitter. I smiled at him, making sure he understood I was just…just what? Angry? Upset? Saddened?

"Okay," Link said. Sheik nodded. I shut my eyes and warped us.

Breathing heavily, I landed on my knees in Ordon Spring with Link and Sheik. Link reached into his tunic and pulled out a bottle of the jelly. He handed it to me and I drank the bitter, disgusting thing. I felt better, though. That was what counted.

Now that we weren't going to be attacked, I could feel myself become more and more angry. Zelda was murdered—she had to have been! Oh, Zelda…

"Come on," I ordered. Sheik followed behind me, obviously playing innocent.

Link's house was coated with a two inch layer of snow. When he opened the door, Éléazar was poking the fire. I motioned for everyone to sit down.

"Hey, everyone," Éléazar said. He looked up. "Good, everyone's o—" He stopped mid-word. "Who's this?"

"Zelda's murderer," I responded. "We're giving her a comfy home and food. Isn't that great?"

Éléazar opened his mouth to speak, but reconsidered. Link sat down at his two-person table. Éléazar sat on the floor next to Kulak. Sheik leaned against the door. I didn't sit down—I paced. "So, what's your cover story, Sheik?"

"It's not—never mind. I'll summarize it for you. Well, Zelda and I…we were born as one person. When Hyrule fell, Zelda went into hiding. They trained her as a Sheikah—then for a few years we trained and helped people. A brave adventurer ended up saving Hyrule. After that, the Goddesses decided the ruler of Hyrule couldn't have a double identity, so they split us into two people. But the Tri Force only could go to Zelda or me.

"They gave Zelda the Tri Force first—she was ruler. They froze me in stone for about ten thousand years and then, when they thought it was time, they froze Zelda again. We can't get old—we're immortal—and every time one of us 'dies' the Tri Force abandons the stone one. But if one of us is killed, we turn up about three hundred years later, resurrected.

"But every once and a while, one is turned to stone before ten thousand years is up. And the other has to try to save Hyrule. But the one who's frozen gets to choose. She can stay frozen, or she can live and try to save Hyrule—"

"You…you _made _her turn to stone?" I took a step towards her.

"No, no! Of course not. It's an involuntary choice for both of us. Blame the Goddesses, not me. And if you were frozen, you would want to live, too! Do you think I liked being frozen for ten thousand years?"

"I don't know, _maybe _you _did_," I snapped. "Or maybe you're lying."

"Midna, calm down," Kulak said. I turned to him.

"Do you know what _murderously enraged _means?"

"I believe so," Kulak responded.

"Well, let's put it this way, I'm _murderously enraged_ right now. And you're not helping," I said with venom.

Kulak didn't respond.

"I know you think I purposely harmed Zelda, Midna, but I didn't. If you don't believe me, that's, well, not exactly _fine. _But you can kill me if you want. But Zelda doesn't come back—ever—if I die."

"You could be lying," I hissed.

"You're right. I could. But are you willing to risk it? Risk Zelda?"

I winced, but walked to her. "If you _ever_ provoke me like that again, I'll take that smile of your face. Don't think I'm kidding," I whispered. Sheik smirked at me.

"Well? We've got to be pro-active. You own any axes?" Sheik asked, facing Link. "We need to build a wall around Ordon."

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to happen overnight. Sorry," I smiled at her. Even if she _didn't_ kill Zelda, I still hated her guts.

"Watch and see. Anyone else helping?" Sheik asked. "And do you have an axe?"

"Yeah. Basement, second shelf on the right," Link said gruffly. He didn't think she killed Zelda—but she wasn't his favorite company in the world. I could tell.

Éléazar had been very quiet. I looked to see if he had fallen asleep, but he was awake, just sitting, looking thoughtful. "Hey, wait up," Éléazar called after Sheik. She waved him out side.

"So, what do you think of the Light Realm, Kulak?" I asked.

"This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen. It's amazing we came from this. The Shadow Goddesses—"

"Let's cut the crap here, Kulak. Our people were banished from here; they go to the Twilight Realm, and all of a sudden, 'Wow! There are Shadow Goddesses!' They were banished—they lost all faith in the Light Realm, so they made up a religion. Admit it, they made it up," I taunted. He was one to change faith in a few seconds. I had already stopped believing in 'Shadow Goddesses' when I first met Link.

He gave me a bashful smile. "Probably true. Maybe I'll convert faith tomorrow—way too tired tonight. Have any place for me to sleep, Link?"

Link flushed. "Hmm. Well, the mattress upstairs is taken by Éléazar. I've been sleeping on the floor, but maybe I could ask Uli for some blankets and pillows."

"That'd be great. Don't forget to tell everyone to lock down. If they need anything, I'm going to have to produce miracles," I called to him on his way out. He nodded and continued to the ladder.

After Link came back with blankets made out of goose down and pillows, he went back outside to check on Sheik and Éléazar. It turns out Éléazar made himself a crutch out of some wood, so he wasn't to be worried about.

Link, Kulak and I went to the basement to sleep. Once we were all settled in, we drifted to sleep quickly.

***

I awoke to the sound of a gigantic _CRASH!_ and bolted out of bed.


	11. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: LOL, sorry for the gigantic cliffhangers. Here's Link's POV—forgive me if it sucks, I like Midna's POV better—and remember to review! By the way, thank you, Kiba, for beta-ing! :)**

Midna was already climbing the ladder two steps at a time with me close behind.

Kulak was looking around, frantic, for some sign of attack. "Stay _here_," I heard Midna say.

I grabbed my sword and bolted out the door in pursuit of Midna. When I slammed it shut behind me, I heard something crack. I didn't turn to look.

After ascertaining nothing was wrong near by, we headed to the Ordon Spring vicinity. Midna, still in front of me by a few feet, stopped abruptly, and I crashed into her back, nearly chopping myself in two with her drawn sword.

"We just chopped down a tree," Sheik explained. "You haven't heard that sound before?" Her snow-covered eyebrow rose.

"What, a tree falling? No, I have _not_ heard that before. "I'll tell you what I have heard before: a human neck breaking." Midna snapped. Sheik smiled and I shook my head.

Sheik didn't kill Zelda. Even if she had, it wouldn't have made sense. I killed Ganondorf and _I _didn't get the Triforce of Power. But Zelda had shared a part of Midna—they were like sisters, and to her, it made perfect sense to blame Sheik. After all, we didn't know whose blood she had on her. Maybe it was a planned assassination, for all we know, but that wouldn't make sense. So maybe she hadn't killed Zelda yet, but I still didn't trust her. She was too odd with her blue suit with strange markings.

Éléazar, working on chopping the freshly fallen tree into slender pieces of wood, stopped and rested on his crutch. "Sorry for waking you guys. This tree is _way_ heavier than it looks, but we didn't know where it would fall. So we just ran when it fell. There's a dent in the ground now. Again, sorry," he panted.

"It's alright," I responded. Something made me feel suddenly uneasy—Sheik was watching me carefully.

Midna turned on her heel and started to walk away. "Wait. Aren't you helping? We're already awake, Midna. And it's going to storm in about an hour," I said, glancing at the ominous sky. She turned and shot a glare at me.

"Come inside, Link; I need to talk to you," Midna said, in a strangely quiet tone. I rolled my eyes and followed her.

The ladder was slick with ice. My hand slipped and Midna caught me. Surprising really, she didn't look all that strong, but I quickly felt bad for thinking as much. I warned her about how slippery the ladder was. She didn't answer but went up more carefully than I had.

I groaned loudly. "Great."

"What?"

"Look at my door," I pointed to the giant crack in the middle of it. "How am I going to fix that when we can't even leave Ordon?" I groaned again.

"Well, since it's broken, we'll have to make do with an alternative. Do you have an animal skin or large chunk of wood?"

"I guess I could use some of the wood they chopped, but I'm not sure if they want us to. I mean, they _did _spend all night on that tree."

"Does it matter? We'll freeze to death otherwise, and I really don't think Éléazar wants to freeze," Midna snorted. "Do you want to break it down, or do you want me to?"

"I'll do it. It's my door, after all," I responded. She stepped aside to let me kick it several times, to no avail. Midna sighed and gently pushed me away from the door.

"Cross your fingers—I'm breaking down the door Twili style," She winked at me.

"Midna, that's not a good—"

A purple energy blast hurled at the already broken door and smashed it into three pieces. Luckily, nothing else was destroyed indoors.

Once indoors, she quickly threw the broken pieces out the doorway and hurriedly ran to the basement. "Oh, get up. It was just a tree they were working on falling down," Midna rebuked. Kulak emerged with Midna following, a large goose down blanket in hand.

"What happened to the door?" Kulak asked. I opened my mouth to tell him, but Midna interrupted.

"Life. Evolution. That kind of stuff," Midna smiled at him. Her mood swings were understandable, but scary. "Have any nails? We need to keep the snow out."

"With a blanket?"

"Works just as well as a door. We just have to make it stay there."

I walked to the fireplace and pulled out two knives from the proper rack. "Hold it right there, Midna," I said as I stabbed the knife into the corner of the blanket and into the wall. I did the same with the other one.

"Now that that's solved. Kulak, please check on Link's horse and make sure it's not dead," Midna motioned for him to go outside. "Oh, right. Her name's…Epona?" She looked at me for confirmation. I nodded. She smiled at me and I mouthed, "The horse is at the ranch, with the goats." She mouthed back, "I know."

As soon as Kulak cleared the door, Midna turned to face me, and plopped down on the floor in front of the fireplace. "Link, where is she going to _sleep_? What's she going to _eat_? And why would I want to help her make some useless wall?"

"Sheik can sleep downstairs with the rest of us, or up here so she doesn't bother you. She can eat what we eat. Unless that bothers you, as well," I added.

"It does bother me. Link, what if she _is _Zelda's murderer? And what if she wants to hurt us—hurt you? You don't understand what that Triforce means. It's a magnet for danger, Link. I know it all too well," Midna murmured. She brushed her bangs out of her face and traced the outline of a brown, diamond shaped marking. I recalled the first time I saw her; she was wearing her crown, and I thought the marking was part of it. Now I realized it was part of _her._

"This is a marking unique to the three rulers of the Twilight Realm. Like the Triforce, there are only three alive at any one time. Anyway, Kulak, Jauli, and I have them. It's odd that we all were elected as rulers, but who knows, maybe we were born and the marking—called the Qui—maybe it's passed down through blood. Perhaps in time, our children's children will also have it.

"I have so many stories about how people tried to kill me, kill Kulak. Not many that I remember, only stories _about_ stories. My mother told me everything, like she knew she would die only months later…" She trailed off and then started again. "But you didn't have that, I don't think. Who knows when it's _your_ turn to be killed? Maybe it'll be you next.

"You can't forget that you have that Triforce because there are people that will kill you if they thought they would get that power. Don't forget that," Midna finished. She rubbed her temples.

"Thank you."

"Why?" She asked.

"You worry about me. I thought I was the only one who worried here," I said.

She smiled. "Well, it's most likely storming now. Let's get everyone inside."

We opened our makeshift door to a blizzard. Kulak, Sheik, and Éléazar had gotten to the ladder by the time our eyes adjusted to the flurry of white.

"I told you I could make a wall within a day," Sheik said. She pointed to four huge logs pointed upwards by the entrance to Ordon and my house. In between the second and third log there was a huge block of wood. "We couldn't make a door," she explained.

I shook my head and ducked back inside.

"Where _is_ that horse?" Kulak asked, brushing off snow. His blue skin and the white of the snow made him look unhealthy, but I knew he was fine.

"I don't know, maybe it died?" Midna chuckled to herself and Kulak glared at her, and then rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, maybe it did," he agreed halfheartedly.

It was altogether difficult to squeeze so many people into my house. Luckily, no one complained about sleeping on the floor and there were only two death threats exchanged between Sheik and Midna. Midna, Kulak and I all slept on the bottom floor. Sheik agreed to sleep in front of the door and Éléazar slept on the mattress in the loft. I didn't understand his choice—it would be cold, maybe even colder than Sheik's sleeping area. Maybe he was distrustful of Sheik and wanted to

keep an eye on her.

In the night, Midna mumbled my name several times and reached out for someone. Once she shrieked, waking me up. No one else stirred. I tried to ask her what she was dreaming of, but she just said that it was, "unimportant".

**I'm very happy with this story so far and I really love having such great reviewers. Thanks, everyone! Here's a poll (vote carefully-this one may influence the entire story!):**

**When should Jauli's warriors come to Ordon Province?**

**A: As soon as possible!**

**B: A few chapters more.**

**C: Never! Leave Midna and Link alone for once!**

**What was Midna dreaming about? (Non-Multiple Choice)**

**Why is Éléazar sleeping in the loft instead of the warmer basement?**

**A: He's worried Sheik is an assassin.**

**B: He's madly in love with her!**

**C: I don't know, is it really important?**


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Okay, wow. I'm so excited about where this story is going! I was looking through my old chapters, and I noticed they **_**were**_** boring, but at least they weren't that crappy. I don't think I'll do any revisions on 'em. Alright, here's Midna's POV. By the way, I am doing dreams in PRESENT TENSE because it is in the present, LOL. I may not be great at it, but I want to, so here I go.**

_Zelda runs ahead of me in glee, trying to catch up to Link. He has gone up a hill in Hyrule Field to see if the coast is clear of monsters._

_I try to run faster, but trip and fall. As I start to get up, I hear a shriek of agony and I sprint up the hill. Zelda and Link are out of view, and this worries me. What are they doing?_

_Zelda is sobbing. In front of her is Link, and he looks fine until I see the rows of needles in his chest. I desperately try to pull them out, but he's not breathing anymore._

_I feel a sharp, agonizing pain in my back and pull out one needle. I don't even notice that Zelda has stopped sobbing until I hear a voice. "You can't save them. They are dead, their Trforces have gone to me." A woman in a blue suit with red eyes smirks at me. She holds up a hand and smiles. "Both Wisdom and Courage…now, for Power, but first, to take care of you," she says._

_All I see is the flick of her hand as needles fly at me, then nothing._

_My breath is shallow. I can't move; I can't see! Help me!_

"Link," I breathed, reaching out for him. I bit my lip and told myself it was just a dream, but I still needed to make sure that he was okay. Morning sunlight—or rather, morning cloud cover—came through the basement entrance, casting a faint glow upon the floor.

"You okay?" He whispered.

"Yeah, it was just a dream," I said, careful not to sound shaky. I didn't want to remember it.

"What about?"

"It's unimportant. Go back to sleep," I murmured, but I hoped that he would stay awake. I didn't want to be alone, lost in tormenting dreams. I fought the urge to run upstairs and silently murder Sheik. I could make it look like she had frozen…that would be good.

Link started to snore a few minutes later, and I eased my hand out of his and climbed up the ladder. I looked at Sheik's sleeping area, and it was empty. I clenched my fists and cursed myself for trusting her. Worthless assassin.

I heard a small _clang_ and I tiptoed to the door-cover. I opened it and saw nothing. I put it back and was about to head downstairs when I heard footsteps coming from the fireplace area. I whirled and there was Sheik, trying not to look amused.

"I've been behind you for a minute now," Sheik winked at me, and I scowled. She turned back to the fire, where a massive omelet was being cooked on an iron pan that Link must have had laying around somewhere. I was surprised—maybe it was poison, though. I'd wait for her to take a bite first.

"Where'd you get those eggs?" I hissed, quietly enough so Éléazar wouldn't wake up.

"I went into the village and grabbed some from the nests there," Sheik explained.

"_You_ went into the _village_?"

"In the middle of the night. No one saw me," She added.

"Don't do that again. _Ever._"

"Whatever you say," Sheik said. "You didn't notice?"

"Notice _what_?" I was _out_ of patience with this woman. With the wrong words, she would be sent flying with a blast of Twili magic.

"Nothing, just messing with you," Sheik smiled at me. I don't know if she was being friendly or provocative.

I took on the job of waking everyone up. Kulak awoke disoriented, not knowing where he was. After I explained that to him, I headed upstairs to the loft. Éléazar awoke, and he looked tired. I smiled at him, making sure he got the message—I won't hurt you—and wasn't afraid of me.

After breakfast, I asked Link what the villagers knew. "They know it's not safe to go outside the village," He explained. "Anyway, we usually stick to our town."

I rolled my eyes. "You and your Hylians. Anyway, I'll be downstairs, trying to clean the basement up," I said. Cleaning was the second best thing to a warm bath in a marble tub—a former luxury—to soothe the nerves. I would have to show Link the Twili style of how to warm up a tub of water; I could have made the omelet this morning way faster. But I, too, needed to learn Hylian things. I still hadn't decided what I would do when this was all over, but it didn't involve me leaving Link again.

"Link, you need to do some laundry," I called over my shoulder as I passed through the room where the ladder to the basement was. An entire basket was stuffed full of clothes. I heard him call a faint 'yes' back, but that may have been me imagining his voice.

Even though I had been sleeping down in the basement for two nights, it was amazingly dirty. Bookshelves with old, dusty books were everywhere and so were paintings—mostly of the townsfolk, but some were of Link himself. They were quite good. _Odd,_ I thought to myself, _a book with only a Triforce on the cover._ I opened it, at random, to the fifth page.

It was a novel, written a century ago about a man with a Triforce. I doubt it had ever been read—the pages were in tact and unwrinkled. The book explained a war amongst Hylians and how a man named Kiel killed the one who fueled it all, and the war stopped. I felt like I had read it before, but I hadn't. Maybe I just felt like I _should_ have read it before.

I heard footsteps and quickly slammed the book shut, putting it in one pile and then grabbing another pile of books. Some titles jumped out at me: _Zelda's Amazing Rule, The History of Hyrule_. I would have to read some of them, if I had the chance. Then an unpleasant thought sprung to mind: Lilisians weren't stupid—they knew how to read Hylian. Eventually they would follow a map here, to this small village, and when they did we would fight.

But we would let them attack first. It gave them the element of surprise, but we were more than ready for some Lilisian-killing.

"Link, you have _spiders_ down here!" I called. A small black one tried to scurry onto my bare leg; I was back in my royal robes once more. I blew it off and away from me, not wanting to kill the helpless thing.

"In the Light Realm, there are _always_ spiders," came his rhetorical response.

Surprised that he was so close by, I whirled around, knocking over a book, and catching it with my hair in one fluid motion. Link grinned at me. "That's so cool," he commented. I grinned back and put the book on the shelf.

"I'll come back to this later. Seriously, Link, you need to clean more often." I started to head up the ladder in front of Link. I was surprised by how rough the ladder was, but then again I couldn't count how many rough shoed people had come down and up it.

"What was that?" Link asked, stopping at the top of the ladder. His blue eyes glowed eerily in the afternoon light.

"What was what?" I responded, brushing my hair from my eyes. He heaved himself off the ladder and looked around.

Something dark caught my eye in the basement. Within a second, it disappeared again. The sound of a heel on wood, although quiet, told me all I needed to know. "Get your sword, Link. And tell everyone to get here—fast," I whispered. Link nodded and hurried to the main room. I heard him whisper my message to the others. Soon, Éléazar, Kulak, Sheik, and Link were armed and at the top of the ladder with me. Something rustled from the basement, then the sound of a sword being drawn out.

Sheik, silent as always, jumped over me and landed in the basement. Someone made a hoarse cry, then nothing. I jumped in.

I stifled a gasp when I saw that Sheik had a small gash—rather, a large one that didn't bleed much—on her upper arm, but she seemed to ignore it.

A bulky figure lay in a bundle in the middle of the room. A dark cloak covered its body. I had a pretty good feeling it was Lilisian, but I wanted to be sure. When I approached, it made no noise. I checked for its pulse, but felt nothing.

I didn't want to trust Sheik. I really, really didn't want to. But she was hurt, plus she didn't _have_ to be hurt. She could have let Link or myself kill it, but instead she jumped in and killed it herself.

"You okay?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah. Damn, that hurt," she responded. I was _going_ to help her up the ladder, but her legs weren't injured, so she jumped halfway up and then launched herself from step to step. I rolled my eyes. I heard someone gasp—Éléazar? —and people back up.

"Link, you have any clean towels?" I asked, wincing at the blood on Sheik's arm, her fingernails dripping with it. I looked away quickly. "We're gonna need them."

He went and grabbed some dishtowels that he had washed a few days ago. We managed to stop the bleeding on Sheik's arm and bandaged it with some "clean" thin linen. She didn't complain once.

Sheik shot me a small, shy glance, looking innocent and eerily like Zelda.

_How could I have ever thought I could kill her?_


	13. Chapter 12

Hmm, I bet you guys thought I was dead. No such luck! Alright, here's the chapter that I never finished; Link's point of view.

Sunlight poured through the window, contrary to the second snowstorm of winter. It was just two weeks ago when the leaves completely fell off the trees-autumn. Winter came early, this year.

I wish that it hadn't, though. It made it impossible to travel the now snow-paved rope bridge to the Faron province, and beyond that, the Lanayru province, with Castle Town. There are doctors there, and Sheik needed one.

Her wound was grotesque. It would not stop bleeding-it remained open. The skin around it became yellow, green, purple, and, mostly, black.

"Link, it's poisoned. Lilisian weapons must be poisoned. She's not going to make it if we don't think of something; my magic won't work. She bleeds out any life force I give her," Midna whispered, pulling me aside. Eleazar remained at Sheik's side, and Kulak sulked in the basement. "We have to think of something."

Midna had made it her personal job to keep Sheik breathing. When her fever was raging, she brought in herbal teas from the snow. She was the one who, mostly, held pressure on the wound. A tightly bound towel would last about ten minutes before it was soaked and dripping with blood.

"Midna, I don't think we can. If it's poisoned, there's no way that I can help-and even if we were to get to a doctor, they don't know about Lilisian poisons," I whispered back. "She's gonna have to fight through it."

Midna turned away, sighing. I seriously doubted that Sheik would make it. She was strong-but human. With the loss of blood (even with the life force that Midna was giving, along with the constantly supplied fairies) she would die within the next two days.

Well, maybe she'll make it through. Someone's going to have to think of something...

Midna bursted out the "door" after saying a couple things to Sheik. She seemed upset, but with her moods right now, I didn't dare to follow. She would be back in an hour or so.

But as the hours ticked by, and the winter sun set on the horizon, I became worried. She was supposed to be back by now. I doubted that she would go somewhere besides Ordon, because it was far too dangerous to go outside of it...

But why would she leave now?

I stepped out and scanned the area. She stayed away from the townsfolk, for fear of scaring them...The only place she really went was Ordon Spring. I climbed down the icy ladder to the snow-paved ground.

The Spring was frozen solid. Midna was nowhere to be found.

My mind raced. Where did she go? She must have gone walking and...a Lilisian? I turned around, making sure she wasn't just playing a trick on me. "Midna? Midna, if you're out here, we need you at my place. Midna?" I said, my voice getting stressed at the end.

When I walked back in, I went straight to Sheik. "Where did Midna go?"

"I don't know."

"Oh, yes, you do. She said something to you before she left. Where is she?" I tried to control my anger. Midna told her something, and Sheik was holding out on me.

"I... I don't remember. She said something about the Tri-Force, and she asked me if I was okay," Sheik's red eyes were earnest...and I didn't trust them, this time. "She told me that she needed to leave, and to tell you...to tell you that she would be back soon."

I sat down, cross-legged, and put my head in my hands. Where could she be? "She's getting you help, isn't she?"

"I don't know. I don't think that I can be helped anymore. Look at this," Sheik said sadly, unwrapping the bloody wound. There was no improvement-it was more black around it, and the wound was bleeding again. "I'm not going to make it, am I? The fever, the headaches...I'm being poisoned."

"I can't tell you that. I have no idea. Midna seemed pretty desperate to get you help, though...She thinks it can be helped. You have a chance, I think," I lied.

Sheik rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah, I'm screwed."

"Stop being a damn pessimist!" Kulak yelled from the basement.

"Hey, can I show ya something, Kulak? Come up here," Sheik called. Warily, Kulak climbed the ladder and stood over Sheik, trying his best to look exasperated.

"What. Do. You. Want?"

Sheik smiled, closing her eyes. Then, she deftly kicked Kulak between the legs. "Are you optimistic now, jackass?" Kulak went down on one knee and cussed.

"Sheik!" I groaned. "Kulak, are you alright?"

"NO! No, I'm not alright!" Kulak shouted.

Eleazar, laughing quietly, stood up and escorted Kulak back to the basement. I could hear the whining and complaining.

"Midna's gonna be alright, Link," Sheik said, seeing me gaze out the door. "I'm sure of it."

"How can you be sure? Look at your arm. How do you know that's not going to happen to her? What if she never comes back?"

"She will."

I didn't argue. Everything in me was telling me to go, but I could almost feel Midna's will, the will for me to stay and care for Sheik.

So I made up my mind-if she wasn't back by sunset the day after tomorrow, I was going to find her.

"Good idea," Sheik said.

"What?" I questioned. Had I said that out loud? I didn't remember doing so...

"You're talking in your sleep," Sheik quickly responded.

I didn't respond. I felt positive that I had not said that out loud, and I sure as hell wasn't sleep talking. How had she heard me? "No, I'm not."

"So you're not stupid. Good."

Something about the way she said it was... Almost predatory. I heard her laugh and jumped a little.

"When you shout your decisions, it's easy enough to hear them."

I drifted to sleep on the cold wood floor.


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: I'm wrapping this FF up. Probably four or five chapters left! Be excited, it's gonna be great!**

_She's around. I can sense it._

A hideous, giant spider crawled in the corner. I sent an energy blast at it, before it could attack me. It shriveled up and died quickly…

And then I was surrounded by other spiders, all closing in on me. Three more spider-like figures were prodding me with spiked clubs.

Those creatures were humanoid, with clothes and a face and two legs—but they looked mutated, with their eight arms growing out of their sides. In an alien language, they called out to someone.

She was the one that I sought. "You speak Hylian?" I asked to the figure I couldn't see yet. As she came into view, I noticed details. Her black hair raised into eight leg-like parts, suspended by white spider web. Her outfit was skimpy—bordering _skanky_—and tight, also white, also made of white spiderweb. It started at the very top of her thighs in a thick, opaque form, and split into two bands that went over her shoulders, mostly translucent, and crossed over her chest to make a large, skimpy X, except with the bottom solid.

"Down on your knees!" She commanded with a sharp movement of her hand. All spiders and guards lowered themselves in a servant's position. I didn't budge.

"Hail Princess Cynthia of the Spiders!" They called out in whispery voices.

Cynthia walked over to me, the crowd parting for her, still on their knees. She circled me slowly, dragging her long nails across my shoulders. I knocked her hand off. "I need your help," I said to her.

She slapped me, hard enough for me to taste blood. _You'll regret that!_ I wanted to say. I smiled sweetly at her and bowed. "My apologies."

"What have you come here for? To kill my spiders and mock my authority? I should have you killed," Cynthia rasped at me. Wow, I didn't know I had offended her _that_ badly.

"My friend is dying, and she has a Triforce, and I need you, the Triforce of Power, to help me save her," I said.

She started to laugh. "And this is my problem, why? Guards, kill her," Cynthia laughed, turning to walk away.

I sent out an energy field and killed all that were in it—a few spiders scurried off quickly. "Obviously, you don't know the extent of my abilities," Cynthia said, not turning around.

And then the Forest Temple, infested in spiders, grew completely dark. All the lanterns went out, and the forest light did not filter through.

I quickly held up an energy blast to give me light—and Cynthia was nowhere to be found. _Princess of Spiders,_ I thought, looking for her hiding spot.

A rock fell on my shoulder.

_CEILING! _

Cynthia dropped down onto my back, locking my arms. The energy blast faded. I tried to knock her off—to no avail; I couldn't see where any object was that I could use to scrape her off of me. Her breath hit my neck. "By the way, I _am_ poisonous."

I jumped and twisted myself midair, so that I would land on my back. Cynthia's hold dropped and I sprang up, readying another blast. I launched it at where I had fallen—it hit her with a loud _thump_. She groaned.

"I won't kill you," I started. "I need you. If you don't help me, I'll have to kill you, though." I quickly made a sleeping-haze spread over her body—she looked beat up, but peaceful.

I picked her up and warped out of the old Forest Temple, back to Ordon Spring. Once I was at Link's house, I threw Cynthia over my shoulder and climbed the ladder, barging into the house.

I dumped Cynthia onto the floor.

"Midna!" Link exclaimed, running in from the basement entrance area. He wrapped his arms around me—he was very warm. "I was going to look for you, but I was worried you had gone back to your realm and—"

"Shh. I got the Triforce of Power for you, Sheik," I said. Up against the wall by the fireplace, Sheik rested. Her arm looked horrible—rotted and bleeding still.

"Alive?" Sheik asked, eyeing Cynthia's limp body.

I propped Cynthia up against the wall and used a "stay" spell. "WAKE UP!" I screeched. Her red eyes fluttered and she tried to get up.

"Why have you bound me here? What do you want?" Her voice demanded.

"I told you already. You _will_ help my friend," I said.

"Not unless you kill me first!" Cynthia yelled, waking Eleazar and Kulak. They came running to the unfamiliar voice. Her wild eyes took in the entire room.

"Well then, I guess that's how it's going to work. But I'm no the one killing you," I smiled at her. "Last chance—do or die, Cynthia," I warned.

"NEVER!" Cynthia screamed.

"Sheik, I'm going to put her under. You need to, um, do your thing. Can you come outside?" I asked, wincing at the thought of killing Cynthia. But it was the only way.

"Yeah, I think," Sheik said, lifting herself up. She stumbled right outside. I dragged Cynthia's unconscious body out and turned away.

I handed Sheik a sword. "Link, drop some of your blood in a bowl, please," I said. "Sheik, wait a second."

Link returned to us with the bowl. He turned away.

"Do it, Sheik," I said quietly. There was one heavy sound and then nothing. Sheik dropped her blood into the bowl and poured the mixture onto her arm.

"Ahh," Sheik groaned. "Feels wonderful."

I disposed of the body with Twili magic and Sheik darted inside.

I noticed something, as her hand flew by in a quick movement of hers.

"Sheik, why is your Triforce…double?"

"What the _HELL?"_ Sheik screeched. "It looks like…Like I have two Triforces! That's not…it's not…possible…"

And then Sheik started to shake.

Her body twisted and she levitated off the ground for a moment. Her red eyes flashed blue, over and over again.

Sheik started to duplicate before my eyes. Her body shuddered and fell to the floor.

Behind her stood a woman.

A woman I had never, ever thought I would see again.


End file.
